Signaling apparatus.



N0. 68|,37I. Patented Aug. 27, I90I. G. E. PAINTER.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Jan. 26, 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

m: nouns PzrzRs co No. 68!,37I. Patented Aug. 27, I90l.

. a. E. PAINTER.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Jan. 26, 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

THE "cams PETERS cu, FHOTOLITNQ. WASNINGTON. IV 0 No. 68|,37l. Patented Aug. 27, I90l. G. E. PAINTER.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Jan. 26, 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES I PATENT FFICE.

GWYNNE ERNEST PAINTER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,371, dated August 27, 1901.

Application filed January 26, 1901- Serial No. 44,928. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GWYNNE ERNEST PAIN- TER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signaling apparatus, and particularly to such apparatus as may be used along the line of a railway to enable persons who desire to ride to indicate the fact to a motorman or conductor of an approaching car.

My apparatus has been designed more especially for use at stations or points along the lines of suburban electric railways to enable patrons to readily signal a car after dark by means of a signal provided for that purpose instead of by a lighted match or burning pa per, which are the usual means new resorted to for this purpose.

The main object sought by me is an apparatus which shall not only be simple in construction and easy of manipulation for displaying a signal, but which shall also be so constructed and organized that a passing car will operate to extinguish the signal and leave the apparatus in its original working condition, so that nothing will be required on the part of the passenger but to press a lever or button in order to display the signal.

Broadly stated, my invention consists in providing, in connection with a normally open circuit in which the signaling device is located, a circuitclosing device or switch, means whereby said switch will assume its open position the moment a break or short circuit occurs in the circuit closed thereby, and means for breaking or short-circuiting said circuit.

In carrying out my invention I have devised a man ually-operated switch which when operated to close the circuit is held to its closed position by an electromagnet which is energized by the current of said circuit, said switch being construced to be drawn by grav ity or a spring to its open position the moment it is released by said magnet. Within said circuit is placed an electric light or other electrically-actuated signal and a device to be operated or actuated bya passing car for momentarily breaking or short-circuiting the current through said magnet.

After a detail description of my invention the features deemed novel will be specified in the claims hereunto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates an apparatus embodying myinvention, in which a short-circuiting device is employed for extinguishing the signal and causing the manually-operated signal-switch to be returned to its open position. Fig. 2 illustrates an apparatus in which a circuit-breaking device is employed in lieu of the short-circuiting device illustrated in Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views of the short-circuiting device of the apparatus of Fig. 1; and Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate one of the circuit-breaking devices of Fig. 2 in top and end views, respectively.

While I have illustrated my apparatus as applied to an overhead-trolley railway system which furnishes the current necessary for its operation, it is to be understood that it may be applied to an underground system or to a system other than electric, in which latter case an independent source of electric supply must be provided, and each car must be equipped with a device for cooperating with the devices provided for short-circuiting or breaking the current, to be hereinafter described.

Referring to Fig. 1, A and A represent the trolley-wires of a double-track overhead electric-railway system, and B and B represent devices attached to said wires with which the car-trolley contacts for short-circuiting the current through the apparatus and extin-.

guishing the signals, as will be explained, said devices being attached to the Wires at or near the points along the line of the road where signaling-stations are located. In a single-track system these devices B and B are attached to the one trolley-wire, and they may be constructed to take, the place of hangers for supporting the wires; but, as shown in the drawings, they are themselves supported by the wires in such a manner as not to obstruct the passage of the trolley.

In Fig. l I have illustrated the devices 13 and B in diagram; but on referring to Figs. 3, 4, and 5 it will be seen that they consist of two pieces or plates b and b, one of which is in contact with the trolley-wire and the other insulated therefrom, each presenting a contact edge on opposite sides of the wire and slightly below the same with which a trolley will contact for electrically connecting the two plates, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, a trolley beingthere shown in dotted lines. Plate 1), which is the one in electric contact with 1he trolley-wire, is provided with end pieces 12 through which the wire passes and which form clamping-jaws that cooperate with a clam ping-bar b backed by screws b, which force the clamping-bar against the wire and securely hold the plate to its position thereon, as shown in Fig. 5. Plate 1) is secured to plate b by screws 5 but is insulated therefrom and from the trolley-wire by suitable insulating material 1). Attached to plate I) is a shield 11 which is merely provided to protect the device from snow and ice.

Convenientlylocated at each signalingstation is a box 0, containing two switches or circuit-closing devices provided for closing separate circuits, one of which includes a signaling device D and the other a signaling device D, the one being a signal for cars approaching from one direction and the other for cars approaching in the opposite direction, and the two signals should be such as may be readily distinguished from each other. I prefer to employ for these signals electric lights of different colors; but it will be obvious that the same object will be accomplished by shielding lights of the same color, so that they will be visible from one direction only.

In the box 0 are two electromagnets E and E, which are supported on a porcelain plate F by brackets e and c, said plate F being provided merely to insulate the several parts from each other and from'the box 0, which is made of cast-iron. Beneath each of the magnets is an arm ff, which is pivoted, as at f f to a plate so that said arms will swing toward and from the magnet-cores e 6 Attached to each of said arms is an armature f*f which will be attracted and held by its appropriate magnet when moved in contact therewith, but which is normally held away from the magnet by its own weight and that of the arm to which it is attached, with the outer end of the latter resting on an insulated roller h h on the inner end of a leverH H, the latter being pivoted, as at 72. lb with their outer ends projecting to the outside of the box G to serve as the operatiuglevers of the apparatus. Lever I-I controls the light D, which is the signal for a car to stop which approached, for instance, from the right, and lever H controls the light D, which is the signal for acar to stop which comes from the opposite direction. Both levers close the signal circuits through common ground connections, in which are located lights D pro vided for lighting the station while a passenger is waiting for acar.

The electric connections are as follows: One end of the coil of magnet E is connected to a post 1' by a wire 1, and from said post a wire 2 leads to the signal-light D, which in turn is connected by a wire 3 with the plate b of the short-circuiting device B on the trolley-wire A. The other end of the coil of magnet E is connected by a wire l with the bracket e, and the latter is connected by a wire 5 with the plate I) of the device B. The coil of magnet E is connected at one end to a binding-post t by a wire 6, and from said i post a wire 7 connects the signal-light D, and

from said light a wire 8 leads to plate I) of the short-circuiting device B on trolley-wire A. The other end of the coil of magnet E is connected by wire 9 to the bracket 6, the latter being connected by a wire 10 to the plate I) of the short-circuiting device B. Plate g, to which the switch-armsf and f are pivoted, is connected by a wire 11 to the lights D which are'in turn connected byawire 12 to ground G. The wires running from box C are protected by pipes or tubes 70, which are tapped into the top of the box and closed at their upper ends by a porcelain cover K, as clearly shown.

The operation of the apparatus is as fol lows: A person desiring to signal a car which is to come from the right presses down the projecting end of lever H, as indicated in dotted lines. This will cause arm f to be raised by the inner end of said lever, so that the armaturef will be brought into contact with the core 6 of the magnet E. A circuit will thus be established through the signallight D and the cluster of lights D as follows: From the trolley-wire A current will fiow through plate I; and wire 3 to and through the signal-light D and thence by way of wires 2 and 1 through the magnet-coil, then through wire 4, bracket e, to and through the magnetcore 2 through the armature f, arm f, plate 9, and wire 11 to the lights D and thence to ground by way of wire 12. Magnet E being thus energized attracts and holds armature f in contact therewith, and the circuit that has been established by the operation of the switch will remain closed until the terminals of the magnet E are short-circuited or the current therethrough interrupted or broken. The devices B and B, which are provided for short-circuiting the terminals of the magnets, are placed a little beyond the point where the cars are to stop, so that the lights will remain until after the passenger has boarded a car and the latter has started on its course. The signal D having been operated and a car stopped for the passenger and again started, the car-trolley comes in contact with the device B and electrically connects the two contact-plates b and b, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and said plates being connected to the terminals of the magnet E the latter will immediately release its armature f which will drop to the position it occupied originally or before it was moved for closing the circuit. The movement of the armature away from its magnet opens the circuit, and thus extinguishes the lights, and the apparatus is left in the same condition it was before the signal was given. The other signal-light D is displayed and extinguished in precisely the same manner by means of the lever H and the short-circuiting device B, and attention need only be called to the fact that the circuits of both signals are closed through the lights D and that the latter will therefore be lighted and extinguished simultaneously with the closing and opening of the circuit of either signal.

In Fig. 2 I show an apparatus in which circuit-breaking devices take the place of the short-circuiting devices already described. The signaling-box C and its levers; switches, &c., are as before described, except as to the electrical connections. In place of the shortcircuiting devices described in connection with Fig. 1 the trolley-wires A and A have have attached thereto circuit breaking devices L and L. These devices being identical in structure, a description of one will serve for both. Soldered or otherwise secured on top of the wire is a standard Z, upon which is mounted a bar Z, carrying a contact Z said bar being insulated from the standard by blocks of rubber or other insulating material Z as clearly shown. Pivotally mounted on the standard Z is a lever Z having at one end a curved plate Z which normally hangs above the trolley-wire in position to be raised by a passing trolley, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 7. The other end of lever Z carries a contact Z which is held by the weight of the plate Z in contact with the contact Z on the bar Z. Supported above the bar Z is a cap or cover Z which is provided 'for protecting the contacts. The electric connections of this apparatus are as follows: One end of the coil of magnet E is connected by wire 13 to a binding-post i and from said post a wire 1t connects with the signal-light D the latter being connected by a wire 15 with the bar Z of the circuitbreaking device L. The other end of the magnet-coil is connected by a wire 16 with the bracket 6 From the plate g a wire 17 connects to the cluster of lights D which are connected to ground G by a wire 18. The coil of magnet E is similarly connected to the signal-light D and to the bar Z of the circuit-breaking device L and will need no further description, it being understood that the two signals are operated and extinguished in the same manner. When the signal D is to be displayed, lever H is pressed down for bringing the arm f and armatirre f in contact with the core of the magnet E a circuit being thus established through the signallight D as follows: Lever Z of the circuitbreaking device L being normally in contact with the bar Z, current fiows from the trolley- Wire through lever Z bar Z, and wire 15 to the signal-light D thence through wires let and 13 to and through the coil of magnet E thence through wire 16, bracket 6, magnetcore e armature f and arm f to plate g,

.thence through wire 17 to the lights D and thence to ground G through wire 18. When the lever Z" of the circuit-breaking device is raised by a passing trolley, as indicated in dotted lines, the current is broken between said lever and the bar Z, and the magnet E consequently releases its armature, which falls to its original position. The break in the circuit which is caused by the passing trolley is only momentary, and the entire apparatus is therefore left in its original working condition.

Many modifications may be made in the structure of the several parts of the apparatus, as well as in the arrangement of the circuits, and I do not desire to be restricted to the construction and arrangement shown nor to the use of lights as signals, as the main features of my-invention may be employed in connection with any form of signal that may be suitable to the particular use to which the apparatus is to be applied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

' 1. Inastation signaling apparatus, the combination of a normally open electric circuit, a signaling device in said circuit, a manually-operable switch for independently closing said circuit and thereby operating said signaling device, means whereby said switch will be automatically moved from its closed to its open position by an interruption in the current of said circuit, and means whereby said current will be automatically interrupted by a passing car and the circuit again restored in condition to be closed by said switch, substantially as described.

2. In a station signaling apparatus, the combination of a normally open electric circuit, a signaling device in said circuit, a manually-operable switch for independently closing saidcircuit, said switch consisting of an electromagnet having its coil and core in said circuit and an armature adapted to be moved into contact with'the core of said magnet for closing said circuit and to assume a position away from said core when released thereby,

and means adapted to be operated by a passing car for interrupting the current through said magnet and again restoring the circuit in condition to be closed by said switch, substantially as described.

3. In a station signaling apparatus, the combination of a normally closed electric circuit, of a shunt-circuit connected thereto, a signaling device in said shunt-circuit, a manually-operable switch for independently closing the circuit through said signaling device, means whereby ,said switch will be moved from its closed to its open position by an interruption in the current of said shuntcircuit, and means operated by a passing car for automatically interrupting said current and again restoring the circuit in condition to be closed by said switch, substantially as described.

4. In a station signaling apparatus, the combination of a normally open electric circuit, a signaling device in said circuit, an electromagnet in said circuit, an armature adapted to independently close the circuit when moved into contact with said magnet and to assume a position away from said magnet when released thereby, manually-operable means for moving said armature, and independent means adapted to be operated by a passing car for automatically interrupting the current through said magnet and again restoring the circuit in condition to be closed by said armature, substantially as described.

5. In a station signaling apparatus, the combination of a normally closed electric circuit, a shunt-circuit containing a signaling device, a device for maintaining the two circuits in normally closed connection, said device being adapted to be operated by a passing car to interrupt the current through said shuntcircuit and again restore the normal connection, a normally open manually operable switch for independently closing said shuntcircuit, and means whereby said switch will,

be automatically opened by an interruption in the current of said shunt-circuit, substantially as described.

6. Inastationsignaling apparatus, the combination with the power-circuit of an electric railway, of a shunt-circuit connected thereto,

a manually-operable switch for independently closing said shunt-circuit, a signaling device in said shunt-circuit, means whereby said bination with the power-circuit of an electric railway, of a normally open shunt circuit connected thereto, a signaling device in said shunt-circuit, a manually-operable switch for independently closing the circuit through said signaling device, and means whereby said switch will be automatically opened by a passing car, substantially as described.

8. In a station signaling apparatus, the combination with the power-circuit of an electric railway, of a normally open shunt-circuit containing a signaling device, a device connecting the two circuits adapted to be operated by a passing car to interrupt the current through said shunt-circuit, a normally open manuallyoperable switch for independently closing said shunt-circuit and thereby operating said signaling device, and means whereby said switch will be opened by an interruption in the current of said shunt-circuit, substantially as described.

9. In a station signaling apparatus, the combination with the power-circuit of an electric railway, of a shunt-circuit, a signaling device in said shunt-circuit, a device connecting the two circuits and normally maintaining them in closed connection, said device being adapt ed to be operated by a passing car to interrupt the current of said shunt-circuit, a manually-operable switch for independently closing said shunt-circuit, and means whereby said switch will be opened by the operation of said current-'interruptin g device, substantially as described.

10. In a station signaling apparatus,- the combination of separate open circuits including distinctive signaling devices, separate manuallyoperable switches for independently closin g said circuits through a common ground connection, and independent means adapted to be operated by a passing car for automatically causing said switches to move from their closed to their open positions, substantially as described.

11. In a station signaling apparatus,'the combination with the power-circuit of an electric railway, of a normally open shuntcircu-it connected thereto, a signaling device in said shunt-circuit adapted to give a signal when said circuit is closed, a normally open manually-operable switch for independently closing said circuit and thereby operating said signaling device, and means operated by a passing car whereby said switch will be automatically moved from its closed to its open position, substantially as described.

12. In a station signaling apparatus, the combination with the power-circuit of an electric railway, of separate normally open shunt-circuits connected thereto each containing a signaling device, separate manuallyoperable switches for independently closing said circuits through a common ground connection, and means whereby said switches will be opened by a passing car, substantially as described.

13. In a station signaling apparatus, the combination with a trolley-wire, of a shuntcircuit connected thereto, a signaling device in said shunt-circuit, a normally open manually-operable switch adapted to close said circuit and thereby operate said signaling device, an electromagnet in said circuit for holding said switch to its closed position, an insulated contact adapted to be engaged by a passing trolley, and a connection from said contact to a terminal of said magnet, whereby said magnet will be short-cirouited by a passing trolley, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ewYNNE ERNEST PAINTER.

Witnesses:

ISABELLE MILLIKEN, MARTIN O. SOHWAB. 

